December 2011
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As the winds cool and days shorten, the holiday season approaches.
Engineers, and especially PEs, give tremendous amounts of their time, effort, and expertise to protecting the public, whether it be safe roads to drive on, efficient buildings, clear water, or healthy HVAC systems.
Engineering deserves something this holiday season. That's why we asked the heads of some engineering societies what they would give to their profession if they could bestow anything in the world.
Sorry, but no iPads this year. These executives want engineering to be prepared for the future, where they play a significant role in the advancement of societies around the world. Engineers have a responsibility, they say, to share their expertise with everyone.
Carl Mack, Executive Director, National Society of Black Engineers
If I had a gift to give to the field of engineering for Christmas, my gift would be to fill the STEM pipeline, in particular engineering, with at least 100,000 minority children.
I'd do that for two reasons. #1: To help make America more competitive. As a nation, in order to regain our competitive edge, we need to develop talent from every person possible. #2: I believe that the new middle class has to be technically trained. As the new middle class develops in this country, I cannot imagine them not being technically trained. And to ensure that under-represented minorities will be a productive member of the new middle class, I think organizations like the National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers are going to have to be at the forefront within our various communities. In addition, I would like to help the diversity of our profession, the field of engineering, by giving engineering a full pipeline of young minority children that's there for many, many years to come.
Victoria Rockwell, President, American Society of Mechanical Engineers
If I could give engineers or engineering anything in the world for Christmas, it would be the desire to become involved and engaged and use their skills to make the world a better place. And to the young engineer: a slide rule, to remind them how the past was built, how far we've come, and the challenges their predecessors found.
I think it's important for engineers and engineering to become engaged in the political system and economic development. This is why I feel I would love to give them this strong desire to become engaged and use their skills to help the world become a better place.
Ron Jarnagin, President, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers
If I could give one gift to engineering, I would give the gift of leadership. The engineering profession, I believe, is critical to our society because engineers are problem solvers, engineers are the ones that make things work, engineers are the people that translate science into reality, and they play a critical role in a country, particularly in a country like the United States, where the economy is driven by technological improvements.
Unfortunately, many of the decisions that are made in our country and made in many other countries are driven by the politics, and politicians rarely have access to the knowledge they need to make decisions that are sort of correct for the times. Engineers have much to offer in this particular area. But for them to be effective, they need to be leaders, stepping forth and expressing their opinions, learning how to communicate the technical knowledge that they have in language that is understandable by policymakers.
I believe that if we do that and we continue to do that, both in our organization as well as the other engineering organizations, we could truly transform this nation.
Chris Stone, P.E., F.NSPE, President, National Society of Professional Engineers
If I could give anything to the engineering profession, it would be to take pride in our profession and leadership.
Over the years, the engineering profession continues to be eroded by non-PEs performing ever more complicated engineering tasks. I believe that PEs need to take pride and stand up for their profession, or we run the risk of just becoming another commodity.
I also believe that PEs need to take on more leadership roles in government and help shape our future.
With today's economic uncertainty and a crumbling infrastructure, our nation's future depends upon PEs taking a stronger leadership role in both the private and public sectors and utilizing our critical problem solving capabilities and solving the tough challenges like energy, transportation, water, and wastewater.
| What would you give to the engineering profession for the holidays? E-mail your ideas to pemagazine@nspe.org and write "Holiday Gifts for Engineering" in the subject line. |
